When it all began...

I just did things when I was kid. There wasn't any inner monologue telling me that I shouldn't be relaxing right about now, and that there was stuff waiting to get done that only me could do. No ying or yang about what I wanted vs what I needed. I just did. 

I miss that mental liberation, although it wasn't liberating at the time. Back then, I felt constrained by my inability to choose what was going to happen in a day, and I wanted the world. I settled for making banana cake or applesauce cake in the kitchen (the first thing I'll make for you).

The story starts with a magical book: 

This is the actual book, and under that retro "MINE" label is a hand-written "MINE" that was surreptitiously written by the 10-year-old version of me who found something glorious and felt compelled to mark it as my territory. It is, indeed, still glorious.

This book was a gateway to a dream. I can't even imagine what drove me to open it up that first time, but once opened, it offered a view of the Betty Crocker Test Kitchen Lab:

 

I would stare at these pictures and sigh, as I still do. There are a few things to note about these pictures: they're almost empty of people; they elevate cooking from drudgery to sophisticated lab work with gay polka dots; this was a place for women. Throughout the whole book, it's underlined how this is a Woman's World. 

I already lived in a Woman's World. With four sisters and an admirably bold and artistic mother, I was surrounded by femininity. A Woman's World is full of the power of choices, and domains to rule over. Here's the domain that I currently rule over as I'm writing this blog:

Trust, I enjoy my peace and crafts. Feathers, geodes, cattails, silks, pottery, herringbone, leather, mahogany, books, stained glass, dried roses. Is there a reason to leave this palace? It's more than the comforts of home; it's the comforts of mind.

Still, there are things I don't have. A double wall oven, for example. My kingdom for a double wall oven! Heck, I'd settle for using someone else's while wearing a 50's style dress, apron, heels and pearls. Maybe someday... *sigh!* For now, back to my childhood dream. 

Reading on in the book, there are images of men being tempted by cakes and donuts:

And if that wasn't enough to make you think that baking could help you land a man, then there's the direct hit in the cookie and brownie section:

See the man with hearts in his eyes? That's one powerful cookie! 

"So *this* is how it's done..." thinks the 10-year-old, who wants to be worldly and mindful of how to catch a man. I was lying on the couch in the living room, surrounded by wallpaper that featured patriotic eagles on one side of me, and real wood paneling on the other. The Center of Power was just down the hall and around the bend from the dining room, waiting for me to make banana cake. I could fill the house with the smell of baked goods and bake happiness.

It was my first taste of Power, and I've been ruling my kitchen ever since. 

So welcome to my blog! I'll be sharing recipes, crafts, and all sorts of good stuff. :)